Labor force — all countries

Labor force — Sub-Saharan Africa

Labor force in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2025 — 526,964,357 people. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 153.5%.

2025 527M people +2.97% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 527M people2025
Period minimum 208M people1990

Trend over time

1990–2025 · people

Labor force — Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2025200M300M400M500M600M19901994199820022006201020142018202220251990: 207,870,269 people1991: 214,275,505 people1992: 220,866,687 people1993: 227,473,446 people1994: 234,516,989 people1995: 241,472,164 people1996: 247,869,967 people1997: 254,326,574 people1998: 261,436,860 people1999: 268,952,630 people2000: 276,490,454 people2001: 284,251,979 people2002: 292,293,020 people2003: 300,517,365 people2004: 308,949,627 people2005: 317,510,769 people2006: 325,879,363 people2007: 334,355,721 people2008: 343,004,559 people2009: 351,460,463 people2010: 360,067,594 people2011: 371,025,440 people2012: 379,173,872 people2013: 392,203,675 people2014: 400,291,416 people2015: 410,579,800 people2016: 421,084,289 people2017: 430,593,449 people2018: 442,021,317 people2019: 453,720,015 people2020: 459,882,847 people2021: 475,964,925 people2022: 494,077,377 people2023: 501,348,552 people2024: 511,743,767 people2025: 526,964,357 people
Change over the period: +319M (+153.51%) Average annual rate: 2.69 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa 527M people
World 3.74B people
Labor force — Sub-Saharan Africa, by year Sub-Saharan Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 527M +15.22M +2.97%
2024 512M +10.4M +2.07%
2023 501M +7.27M +1.47%
2022 494M +18.11M +3.81%
2021 476M +16.08M +3.5%
2020 460M +6.16M +1.36%
2019 454M +11.7M +2.65%
2018 442M +11.43M +2.65%
2017 431M +9.51M +2.26%
2016 421M +10.5M +2.56%
2015 411M +10.29M +2.57%
2014 400M +8.09M +2.06%
2013 392M +13.03M +3.44%
2012 379M +8.15M +2.2%
2011 371M +10.96M +3.04%
2010 360M +8.61M +2.45%
2009 351M +8.46M +2.47%
2008 343M +8.65M +2.59%
2007 334M +8.48M +2.6%
2006 326M +8.37M +2.64%
2005 318M +8.56M +2.77%
2004 309M +8.43M +2.81%
2003 301M +8.22M +2.81%
2002 292M +8.04M +2.83%
2001 284M +7.76M +2.81%
2000 276M +7.54M +2.8%
1999 269M +7.52M +2.87%
1998 261M +7.11M +2.8%
1997 254M +6.46M +2.6%
1996 248M +6.4M +2.65%
1995 241M +6.96M +2.97%
1994 235M +7.04M +3.1%
1993 227M +6.61M +2.99%
1992 221M +6.59M +3.08%
1991 214M +6.41M +3.08%
1990 208M

About the indicator

The economically active population — everyone aged 15 and over who either works or actively looks for work. It covers the employed, the unemployed and first-time job seekers; it leaves out students, homemakers and other people who do not offer their labor on the market. The size of the labor force is the basic constraint on the growth potential of an economy.

Source: ILOSTAT (ILO), license CC BY 4.0.